At CES this year, Sennheiser debuted four new pairs of wireless headphones, including two pairs of over-ear cans, the HD 450BT and HD 350BT, and two pairs of wireless in-ears, the CX 350BT and CX 150BT.

The key highlight, though, concerned Sennheiser’s proprietary AMBEO tech, and how it could totally revolutionise car audio. Sennheiser and tech company Continental announced an integration of Sennheiser’s patented AMBEO 3D audio technology with Continental’s Ac2ated Sound system. Combined with Sennheiser’s AMBEO Mobility, the concept achieves a breathtaking 3D sound reproduction that envelops passengers in a detailed and vivid soundscape. According to the company, in comparison to the conventional audio systems, Ac2ated sound enables a reduction of weight and space of up to 90 per cent. In this way, the system not only produces the highest audio quality, but is also perfectly suited for electric vehicles, where saving space and weight is a high priority. The invisible audio technology gives vehicle designers and manufacturers the freedom to do more with an automobile’s interior, as they no longer need to account for large speaker faces taking up valuable space.

Come to the product highlights, and we have the HD 450BT and HD 350BT over-ear headphones, and the CX 350BT and CX 150BT wireless in-ears.

The over-ear headphones follow the HD 4.40BT and HD 4.50BTNC, offering Bluetooth 5.0 wireless audio with support for AAC, aptX and aptX Low Latency, plus a 30-hour battery life, charging via USB-C and instant voice assistant access. The top-of-the-line HD 450BT also offers active noise-cancelling and the option to be used in wired mode. Both pairs support the Sennheiser Smart Control app, which allows you to tailor the sound to your preference and also offers a podcast mode for majoring on intelligible speech. On the subject of speech, a dedicated button gives you direct access to the Siri or Google Assistant voice assistants. Available in black or white, the HD 450BT will cost €179, while the HD 350BT will be €99.

The CX 350BT and CX 150BT in-ear wireless earphones offer a soft neckband design to help them stay in your ears, a 10-hour battery life, Bluetooth 5.0 wireless audio, SBC and AAC audio codecs, and USB-C charging. The CX 350BT earphones also support aptX and aptX Low Latency, plus a dedicated voice assistant button for accessing Siri or Google Assistant. They come with four sizes of ear tip, offer multi-pairing for connecting to two devices simultaneously, and function with the Sennheiser Smart Control app, with all the same benefits mentioned above.

The CX 150BT is available in black as of now for €69. A white colour model will be available from February. The CX 350BT earphones are priced at €99 and will be available in black and white from February.

by Anil George

Avid follower of all things tech. In between his quest for the ultimate gizmo, Anil fiddles with light meters, collects rare books and feeds his fetish for Jap horror movies. As Managing Editor of T3 Middle East for the GCC, Anil oversees content direction across print and digital. He was a CES 2020 Innovation Awards Judge, reprising his role as an Innovation Awards Judge at CES 2018, CES 2017, 2016 and 2015. Anil is also the Middle East's first Brand Ambassador for Ashdown Engineering. Reach him at: editor@t3me.com.